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Harwin makes better connections using Festo automation
Family owned British manufacturer Harwin PLC makes high quality connectors for
electronics applications. When investing in a new production line for its premium Gecko
range, the company chose Festo technology to deliver the high levels of automation and
flexibility it needed.
Harwin’s connectors are high quality, reliable and durable and can thus be used in harsh
ambient conditions. They are not only specified by customers in the cost conscious
consumer electronics sector, but are also in demand for high performance applications such
as aerospace, motor sports and the automotive industry. This means the connectors have to
be made consistently to very high standards. Every 0.5mm diameter pin is turned and has a
patented slotted four finger contact design, enabling excellent current handling on a very
small pitch and ensuring high vibration and shock resistance.
In response to market requirements Harwin introduced its Gecko range of connectors.
These advanced connectors have a pin pitch of only 1.25 mm and are half the size and 75%
lighter than micro D connectors. Their robust screw connection makes them extremely safe
and reliable and able to withstand countless mating operations without damage.
The Gecko connector manufacturing process has been continuously refined from an
initially manual process to today’s highly automated solution, capable of producing
hundreds of thousands of connectors a year with a wide range of connector configurations
ranging from 4 to 50 pins per connector and many pcb mounting options.
Flexibility as standard
When developing a new production line with the aim of improving manufacturing
efficiencies, Harwin identified that a high level of automation and a high degree of
flexibility were needed to be able to produce differently shaped and sized connectors on one
assembly line. Working with Festo, they were able to develop a modular, automated
process using standard components.
The new assembly lines are built around the YJKP servo press kit and the YXMx compact
handling system from Festo. The handling system takes care of the X/Y movements of the
workpiece carriers and the plastic housings assembled in the system stations. The servo
press kit, which provides easy-to-configure position and force-controlled movement in the
Z plane, is used for press-fitting and bending the contact pins. In all stations, the electric
and pneumatic drives are controlled by their own CECC-X controller together with a
CPX/MPA valve terminal.
“These Festo systems enable maximum standardisation and modularisation, as standard
parts are used everywhere. This makes commissioning and maintenance easier,” explains
Paul McGuinness, Operations Director at Harwin.
The assembly line for manufacturing the connectors comprises three key stations:
inserting, press-fitting and bending the contact pins. In the first station, the workpiece
carriers are equipped with the required connector housings and are positioned using the
Date
03.04.17
Our reference
FTO7308
YXMx compact handling system so the contact pins can be inserted. In the second station,
the servo press presses the contact pins into the connector housing. The HGPT precision
gripper from Festo locates the workpiece carriers holding the connector housings while the
pins are fitted. The handling system and the servo press kit are also used in the last station
for bending the contact pins to the required angle.
Precise and intuitive
The kinematics of the compact handling system enable dynamic and precise movement and
ensure the connectors are precisely placed under the press-fitting tool. The low moving
mass of the axes with a single belt connected to two static motors helps to quickly and
accurately position the connector housings below the electric servo press.
The modular YJKP servo press kit consists of a closed-loop servo motor, a mechanical axis,
a motion controller and force detection, as well as application software. The result is
precise, powerful and gentle movement of the pins to the correct position.
The CoDeSys software in the CECC-X controller enables complete control of the servo
press profile, providing position and force control throughout the cycle. Evaluation
functions such as insertion or block force monitoring detect whether the fit is within
tolerance. Defective parts are easily identified and later rejected.
The application software supplied with the servo press also makes programming extremely
easy thanks to an intuitive graphical user interface. Adapting the press profile to the
different connector variants can therefore be achieved without the need for special
programming skills. Three CPX valve terminals controlled by the master CECC-X
controller actuate the numerous electric and pneumatic grippers and actuators.
Following on the successful introduction of the new Gecko production line, the Harwin
team are already planning to extend their adoption of Festo solutions.
“We will certainly continue the modular concept but there is scope to extend the
automation, further driving down the cost of production and increasing the production
reliability” says Paul McGuinness. “The handling systems and servo presses now in
production share four very important customer demands of our modular and flexible
machine concept: precision, repetition accuracy, flexibility and reliability. Festo are
uniquely placed to meet these requirements.”
Ends
Press text and photos are also available online at www.festo.co.uk/press/Harwin
For Festo’s latest news go to www.festo.co.uk/gbpress
Images and Captions:
FTO7308a
Harwin PLC manufactures high quality connectors for electronics applications which have to be
made consistently to very high standards.
FTO7308b
Using standard components from Festo, Harwin achieved the automation accuracy necessary to
produce differently shaped and sized connectors on one assembly line.
FTO7308c
Harwin‘s new Gecko assembly lines are built around the YJKP servo press kit and the YXMx
compact handling system from Festo.
FTO7308f
Paul McGuinness, Operations Director at Harwin: “These Festo systems enable maximum
standardisation and modularisation.”
About Festo
Festo is a leading international supplier of automation technology with a turnover in
2016 of around €2.74 billion. Festo employs about 18,800 people worldwide and is a
proven innovator and problem solver in the field of pneumatic and electrical
automation where it has established itself as the performance leader. Festo offers over
30,000 pneumatic and electric products for factory and process automation technology
which can be tailored to specific customer needs in a variety of modular programs.
Festo Industrial Automation’s innovative strength is demonstrated through the
introduction of around 100 new products being launched every year. The company
invests over 8% of its turnover in R&D resulting in over 2,600 patents held
worldwide. For more information about the company’s products and services, please
visit: www.festo.co.uk
Festo Training & Consulting specialises in the development of people, organisations
and technology skills. Offering a range of open courses, structured development
programmes and tailor-made, customer-specific projects, Festo trains over 42,000
delegates worldwide every year. More information on the training and consulting
services can be found at: www.festo-didactic.co.uk
Festo’s Bionic Learning Network encapsulates the innovative nature of Festo, raising
awareness and attracting talent to the company. Exploring the links between nature
and technology opens up new areas of innovation and demonstrates complex ideas in a
stimulating and enjoyable way. Festo works with an alliance of internal R&D, external
educational establishments and specialist companies, to advance the development of
bionic solutions for automation applications of the future. The objective is to benefit
from bionics as a source of inspiration for new technologies and to realise these in industrial
automation. For more information about Festo’s Bionic Learning Network, please visit:
www.festo.com/bionics
Sources:
Worldwide turnover, number of employees and R&D %: Hannover press release
CC_07_Financial Year_2016
Number of products: Hannover press release CC_06_17_Festo_Company_2017
Number of patents see Corporate website/Innovation and technology:
https://www.festo.com/group/en/cms/9999.htm
Can’t find source for how many delegates are trained worldwide so have left this at 42,000
For more information please visit www.festo.com
Telephone number for publication: - 01252 775000
Journalist contact:
Alison Jones, Technical Publicity
Tel: 01582 390980
Email: [email protected]